


No Right Way To Be A Family

by crazymisscarly (MidnightBitesCarly)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Baby, Canon Compliant, Family, Harry and Ginny’s Son, Next Generation, Post-Hogwarts, Secret Child, Teen Pregnancy, Voldemort’s daughter, mentions rape
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-30
Updated: 2020-09-19
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:28:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24991543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MidnightBitesCarly/pseuds/crazymisscarly
Summary: The Wizarding war is over. The world is safe now.Those are the conditions that Ginny placed on herself to remember the son she gave birth to in secret while his father plotted to take down Voldemort. But now that the war is over, will she ever be able to unlock the memory of where she hid her child?And what dark, haunting secret of the past is Molly Weasley hiding from her only daughter...
Relationships: Ginny Weasley/Tom Riddle (past/non-con), Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Ron Weasley/Hermione Granger
Comments: 6
Kudos: 32





	1. And now the world is safe...

Exactly eight days after Harry defeated Voldemort, he opened his eyes, realising that he hadn't had any nightmares the night before. His heart wasn't racing, he wasn't sweating, he didn't need to vomit… there was nothing. He was perfectly warm, content, relaxed – and Ginny Weasley was in his bed.

With a grin, the last glimmer of grogginess faded from Harry's mind. He gleefully recalled the events of the night before, and his heart started to race again at the sight of Ginny, naked, her still-sleepy eyes open and looking up at him.

 _She stayed here all night…_ Harry leaned forward and kissed her, a warmth pooling in his body. She was much too far away, he'd need to change that.

Her fingers moved through Harry's messy strands of hair, pulling him closer. He gleefully obliged, images of the previous night flashing in his mind. He'd snuck into her room after Mrs Weasley had checked on them both, then aparated the two of them to Grimmauld Place so they could 'catch up'.

 _And catch up we did,_ Harry thought, deepening their kiss. He'd have to aparate them back before any of her family noticed they were both missing, but maybe they had time to _catch up_ again before they left…

Ginny jolted away and sat up, rigid. Harry felt as though a bucket of ice had been poured over the top of him, the loss of her body heat making him too aware of how cold the room was.

"Ginny, what –" he started to say, but she held up her hand, staring straight ahead but not really seeing the room in front of her. Her eyes were wide, but unfocused, as though she was lost in thought but concentrating hard on it.

After a long moment (Harry was nervous that she'd remain frozen like that forever) she turned to him. "Harry… Harry I think…" she swallowed, and finally made eye contact with him. "I think we have a baby."

Harry stiffened for three whole seconds, then started laughing nervously, sitting up to face her directly. "I think it takes longer than this to know that sort of thing… plus I took that potion Hermione gave you…"

She put her hands on his shoulders. "No, no you don't understand…" she struggled to get the words out. "He's… Harry, he…" she took a deep breath. "I just remembered my dream… no, it's not a dream. I _remembered…_ that last year, on your birthday… oh _Merlin…_ Harry. Harry I got pregnant! I had a baby in February!"

 _I'm still dreaming._ Harry thought. _I haven't woken up yet, and I'm still delirious after what me and Ginny got up to last night._

"Harry." Ginny shook him a little. "I'm serious, Harry. I'm not lying. He was born two months premature. I didn't tell anybody, not even Mum knows."

Rational thinking finally came over Harry. "Wait, I'm going to need you to go back to the part about you getting pregnant on my birthday… _what?_ How? Why didn't you tell me when the war ended? Or before? Did you _forget_ that you had a _baby_?” Harry reached over to pick up his glasses and shove them onto his face. Now that he could see Ginny’s face clearly, he could see that there was no way she was pulling an elaborate ruse. She was being dead serious. “Ginny... _where_ is the baby now?"

Ginny's face paled. She looked as though the blood had been completely drained from her body, as though a vampire wanted to suck the life out of her. "Harry… I don't know…"


	2. Objectives of Obliviation

July 31st, 1997

_"There's the silver lining I've been looking for," she whispered, and then she was kissing him as she had never kissed him before, and Harry was kissing her back, and it was blissful oblivion better than firewhiskey; she was the only real thing in the world, Ginny, the feel of her, one hand at her back and one in her long, sweet-smelling hair._

_Her hands, pressed against his chest, moved lower…_

_Without interrupting their kiss (which was becoming something more than Harry could have ever anticipated when Ginny had asked him to come in there), Harry reached into his jeans to pull out his wand. He pulled back from her for a moment to face the door and whisper "Colloportus"._

_And then her hands were in his hair, and she was pulling him with her towards her bed, deepening their kiss. Their bodies pressed against each other like a warm, tingling magnet, and Harry thought he might just combust from the overwhelming feel of need and love and lust and safety…_

May 10th, 1998

Any time Harry had a school-related or historical question, Hermione was his go-to source of information. Ginny, too, had often gone to her when she needed advice.

So it wasn't too surprising that the pair had – after getting properly, though half-hazardly, clothed – immediately sought her out when they arrived at the Burrow.

"She's not in my room." Ginny said, stress evident in her tone.

Harry hesitated for a moment, then gave Ginny a knowing look. "Let's try Ron's room."

Sure enough, when they'd arrived at the bedroom on the top floor of the house, the door had been locked. And after some quiet but consistent knocking, Ron opened the door, wearing only plaid pyjama pants, with a guilty expression on his face. "Oh, hi guys, I was expecting Mum…"

"Where's Hermione?" Ginny got straight to the point.

Ron feigned innocence. "She's down in your room, isn't she?" He wouldn’t meet her eyes, and a blush spread across his cheeks.

"For Merlin's _sake_ Ron, you're not fooling anyone." She spun and hurried down the stairs. Harry shrugged and followed her.

Ginny marched down three flights of stairs and opened her own bedroom door to find Hermione dressed in an oversized Chudley Cannons shirt. "Ginny! You scared me. I just apparated from Ron's room and I was so sure your mum would – oh, hi Harry."

Harry (who had entered the room after Ginny) was closely followed by Ron, who had a slightly stunned expression on his face and was now wearing a T-shirt.

Ron looked between Harry and Ginny with stunned concern. "Why do you both look like you're about to cry? And what's with the 6am wake up call?"

Ginny hesitated for a moment. She wasn't sure if she believed her own memories, nor did she want to admit that the thoughts inside her head might be real. Asking Hermione about the possibility was one thing, but telling her brother made it too realistic. How was she supposed to admit to her brother that she might have hidden her _baby_? That she even had a baby in the first place?! But, Ron was her closest sibling, and Harry's best friend. If she was going to trust anyone else with the knowledge, she knew he would be the most loyal.

Harry broke the silence. "I think maybe we should all sit down…"

February 22nd, 1998

_"I’ll remember when I feel like the world is safe."_

_Ginny struggled to get the words out, facing the Obliviator. His green eyes were so similar to Harry's, but they lacked the majestic emerald that pierced into her soul._

_The Obliviator nodded. "The memories won't return all at once. Some may never return at all. Are you prepared to accept this risk?"_

_Ginny tried to swallow the lump that was threatening to crawl up her throat. "If it means he'll be safe, I'll do anything."_

_The Obliviator pointed a wand at her head. Suddenly Ginny felt like she was about to spin sideways, but constantly, like her reality was tilting on a continuous loop but never reaching the full circle. The Obliviator's voice changed from a deep and rough tone to a smooth, harmonious melody._

_"This is not a dream." His voice was compelling. "You are experiencing transient obliviation. I have temporarily hidden your memories so that they cannot be used by an evil force. The obliviation will not be lifted until you, Ginevra Molly Weasley, believe and truly feel that you and your family are safe in the magical world. Your hidden memories may return within hours, days, months, years, or never."_

_The feeling of spinning increased. Reality was shifting, flashing between colourful and grey and translucent and intense. Ginny thought she would struggle to make sense of the Obliviator's words, but it was impossible because the voice was getting louder, like it was coming from inside her own mind._

_"You gave birth to a boy on the 21st of February, 1998. He was premature, but strong willed. You told nobody, and concealed your pregnancy. The only people who know that Ginevra Weasley and Harry Potter have a son are in this room. Your child has been hidden in an orphanage, and the care-workers do not know his true identity. You have given permission for them to release him for adoption at the age of seven, if no family has returned to claim him. There is no magical record of his birth that reveals his identity. You planned this to ensure that he is cared for in the event of your death."_

_And then, like a rubber band had snapped, the spinning came to a halt._

May 10th, 1998

Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione sat beneath a large oak tree on the edge of the Weasleys' property. The sun attempted to shine through, but only streaks of light were penetrating the space between the leaves.

Hermione read through a large book called _Objectives of Obliviation_ , while the other three attempted to make small talk. All of them were too tense to have a genuine conversation, particularly Ginny, who was alternating between gripping Harry's hand and leaning back against the oak tree trunk and staring up at the leaves above them.

Eventually Hermione looked up at Ginny. "Okay, I found the passage I was looking for. Transient Obliviation is usually only practised by highly skilled Obliviators, because failure or brain damage is likely when it is performed incorrectly. This is why I was very cautious when I obliviated my parents. From what you described about how your vision was 'spinning' I believe they did this:" she turned the book towards Ginny, and pointed to the words _Reality Illusion in Transient Obliviation_. "I read about it when I put the memory charm on my parents, but I was too scared to try it because it is almost impossible to reverse, and the risks outweighed the potential for success. The Reality Illusion method theoretically can never be reversed unless specific criteria are met, and even then, it's hard to know for sure whether it can be reversed completely because the Obliviators generally don't perform these memory charms unless there is no other option, and they also rarely reveal the memories they change or erased… it's all very complex…"

Ginny's eyes scanned the pages, willing herself to remember something other than the Obliviator's haunting, echoing words. "So, my memories of the Obliviator using Transient Obliviation on me have come back because I've seemingly met the criteria that "I feel like the world is safe"?"

Hermione just nodded. Harry put a comforting arm around Ginny's shoulders. "Maybe if you keep feeling and believing that the world is safer, you might be able to bring back some more of your memories?"

Ginny looked up at Hermione hopefully. "Do you think that could work? That if I believe the world is safe I'll remember actually giving birth? Or, where the orphanage is? Or, _what my baby's name is?_ "

Hermione pulled the book back to herself. "It… should? If it's as simple as "you feel safe, now you'll remember" then I imagine that's why you had the memory of the Reality Illusion charm… but then, shouldn't all of the memories have returned? Or, is it because you only had a _moment_ of feeling truly safe that you remembered _some_ of the memories the Reality Illusion charm?"

Ron looked like he'd had a Eureka Moment. "I know! What if you need to redo the moment you felt safe! What _were_ you doing when you remembered this, anyway?"

Harry made a noise that sounded like he was choking on the pumpkin juice he's just taken a sip of. Ginny grinned and looked at Ron. "Oh, I was doing _something_ interesting. Or more accurately, _someone –_ "

"Okay, okay, forget I asked." Ron covered his ears and grimaced, while Hermione hid her laughter behind her hands. "I'm trying to separate from the _how_ part of my best mate getting my little sister pregnant." He grumbled, frowning.

Hermione flipped over the page. "Well, we can't force you to remember anything – though it sounds like we won't have to…" Ginny flicked her shoulder, and both girls laughed. "Let's think more about what the Obliviator said. You gave birth on February 21st this year – so what do you think you were you doing that day?"

Ginny considered it. "Well, I would have had to be at Hogwarts on that day, because the Easter break didn't start until the 20th of March, almost a month later."

Hermione frowned. "So somehow you secretly got out of Hogwarts while Voldemort was having the school monitored by Snape and the Carrows, _and_ while all the secret passage ways were blocked off…"

Ginny's eyes widened. "Wait! There was the new passageway that led to the Hog's Head, and it was inside the room of requirement!"

Hermione looked shocked. "Of course! Why didn't I think of that?"

Harry stood up with determination. "Okay, we have our starting point. Let's go."


	3. Return to Hogwarts

The grounds of Hogwarts were still very much in ruins. When the foursome arrived, they were greeted warmly by several staff members, Hagrid included, whose large beetle eyes became teary when he enveloped Harry in a crushing hug, who made them promise to come down to his hut for tea after they'd "retrieved the things Ginny left in her dorm room".

Though Hagrid suspected nothing about their true plot, Ginny noted that McGonagall eyed them suspiciously as the made there way to the enchanted stair-cases.

It seemed they'd come for naught, though, because when they entered the Room of Requirement, they couldn't conjure the passageway. They tried thinking of the most complex and simplified combinations (Ron even shouted "we need Ariana Dumbledore's secret passageway to the Hog's Head" at the wall) but nothing would bring back the portrait of Ariana Dumbledore.

In an attempt to give Ginny back the hope he'd seen in her eyes, Ron suggested they head in to Hogsmede and ask Aberforth if he remembered Ginny coming out of his sister's passageway alone.

After a short visit to Hagrid and Grawp, who was helping with (and destroying) the school's veggie garden, Ginny, Harry, Ron and Hermione hurried to the Hog's Head with renewed determination.

The Hog's Head was far busier than any of them could recall. There was chatter amongst shady looking wizards and the loud clinking of glasses of firewhiskey. Mundungus Fletcher sat across from a Goblin, swearing that he'd had intel all along that Harry Potter was going to save the day, while the Goblin listened enthusiastically (for a Goblin). It appeared the patrons were in unusually high spirits, likely due to the end of the Death Eater's reign of terror.

One man, however, stood behind the bar, mindlessly wiping the inside of a brass Goblet.

"Mr Dumbledore, sir." Hermione had sought him out immediately, and raised her voice above the ruckus of the crowd. Harry hoped they wouldn't notice the Chosen One had entered the bar. Why hadn't he brought his Invisibilty Cloak?

Aberforth glanced over to Hermione. If he was surprised, he didn't show it. "Was wondering when you lot would show up again. Be wary, the second these three realise who you are you're gonna have to accept at least four rounds of butterbeer." He indicated to the wizards sitting at the bar, loudly toasting to the Boy-who-lived.

Ginny stepped forward. "To be honest, sir, we have a very important question for you. You might be able to help us out with the answer?"

Aberforth filled the goblet with firewhisky. "There's no chance I'm having this conversation sober." He said, then downed the contents of the goblet.

Ginny leaned against the bar. "I have to ask about the portrait of Ariana… I'm sorry if it brings up bad memories, but I need to know – did I ever leave Hogwarts through the portrait?"

Aberforth slowly refilled the goblet. "A lot of you kids did. I made it my business to make it none of my business where you lot were going."

Ginny nodded. "I understand, the secrecy was necessary at the time."

"And mutually beneficial." He agreed, taking a sip of firewhiskey. "I couldn't give anyone any information I didn't know."

Harry moved closer behind Ginny. "Sir, if you do remember Ginny leaving at all, likely around February, it's really really important."

Aberforth looked him up and down, then nodded, facing Ginny. "I don't remember exact dates, but you did come through a few times. Usually with the Longbottom or Lovegood kids to get food or potions, things the Room of Requirement can't create. But there was one night when you left by yourself… I almost notified the Order, because you didn't come back that night, or the next morning. Knew you were Arthur's kid and thought you might have gotten snatched. But just before sundown you came back in, and climbed through the portrait and then I didn't see you again until Voldemort tried to take over the castle."

Ginny's heart could have jumped from her chest. "Did I tell you where I was going?"

Aberforth shook his head. "You didn't say a word to me. I thought you might have run in to some trouble, because when you came back…" he drank again. "Well, you looked like you'd done a few rounds with a Vampire."

"How so?"

"Well, you were pale, and sweating, and you looked really confused, and there was definitely blood on your robes. I hope you don't mind me saying but you looked awfully pained." He finished the rest of his drink. "Something obviously happened while you were gone, but what it was I couldn't tell you, though I assume you've completely forgotten as well, or you wouldn't need to ask me about it."

Ginny hunched over. "Thank you for explaining all that… I hope I can figure out where I went…"

"If I remember anything that might be relevant," Aberforth began, picking up a new goblet to clean. "I'll contact you."


	4. Searching for Secrets

It was hours later when they'd arrived back at the Burrow. The sweet smell of treacle tart brightened Harry's gloomy mood slightly as he and Ginny moved into the kitchen. Mrs Weasley was hard at work, cooking for the first time since the war had ended.

She'd been hiding up in her bedroom since they'd first come back from the Hogwart's battle, only coming out for Fred's funeral, after which Mr Weasley had led her back inside when she'd become hysterical. Seeing her busy in the kitchen had given all four teens a boost that was sorely needed after the day they'd had.

Aberforth had been right: some patrons had soon realised who had entered the pub, and several witches and wizards insisted on buying them a few rounds of butterbeer. Ginny tried to enjoy not being asked if she was old enough to drink, but struggled to find enjoyment in the attention. She managed a few smiles and laughs when she'd been able to push aside the thoughts of her missing child, but it wasn't long before she really just wanted to get out of there and start looking for more clues – anything that would lead her to the baby she couldn't remember having.

  
  
They'd stopped at a quieter restaurant in Hogsmede to eat dinner and avoid being noticed. They had exhausted every possible theory about where she may have gone on the 21st of February, and decided their next course of action would be to research orphanages in the United Kingdom. The Obliviator had clearly said her baby was in an orphanage and couldn't be adopted until he was at least seven. So, logically she knew she had plenty of time to find him and bring him home – but the thought that it could take her seven years to find him, and that by then he could be with some other family, never to be held by her or Harry, filled her with impending dread.

"Don't worry, we'll find him." Harry had said, rubbing her back. "How many orphanages can there really be in England?"

The answer, Harry soon realised, was not enough.

May 23rd, 1998

They had searched both Wizard Orphanages in England, and seven Muggle children's homes, but true to Obliviator's words, there had been no record of their baby being born or handed over on the 21st February. They tried going over records from the entire month, and the January and March records, in case there had been some sort of clerical error, but they still had no luck in locating the baby.

Harry had decided Ginny needed a break from the heartache of searching and failing to find their child, and so had taken her to a Muggle playground near his childhood house in Little Whinging.

  
  
The day had started out fine enough, the pair had even shared a few laughs in spite of themselves. But Harry knew Ginny was not her usual self. Neither was he.

Now they aimlessly swung back and forth on the swing set, Ginny barely moving and Harry swaying back and forth, but not getting very high up.

"He's over three months old, Harry." The words came out of Ginny's mouth in a stab of anguish.

Harry reached out and took one of her hands in his, slowing down his swinging. He had no words, so he said nothing.

"I keep thinking… mum has no idea that she has a grandchild. Dad has a grandson. How do I explain that to them, when I don't even know where he is? What are they going to think of me, unmarried, a secret love child out in the world…"

Harry squeezed her hand. "Honestly… I'm scared of what they'll think of me too."

Ginny looked up at him, confused. "Why? They think the world of you…"

Harry shook his head. "It doesn't matter. I slept with you, without conception protection, when you were underage, then I left you pregnant to deal with the consequences alone. And now my son is alone in an orphanage and we have no idea how to find him." Harry closed his eyes. "I just can't believe you're not more angry at me. Imagine how your parents are going to feel knowing that I knocked up their daughter and then left her."

  
  
Ginny had been so consumed with her own confusing feelings of guilt towards abandoning their son, that she hadn't noticed how guilty Harry was feeling for abandoning her. "I can't say for sure that I was never angry at you for leaving, because I have no memories of the pregnancy at all. But I think we both need to accept that we made the choices we thought were right at the time. If I hadn't hidden my pregnancy, who knows what would have happened to the baby – to us? If Voldemort knew you had a child… he would have done everything he could to use him against you… it's why you broke up with me in the first place. And honestly," she stared into his eyes. "I think we both did the right thing. You for me, and me for our son…"

Harry pulled her swing closer so that they could embrace. "Doesn't make it any easier, or less emotional."

"And," Ginny whispered, "it doesn't stop me from feeling so guilty that I don't even know my child well enough to really miss him… All I feel for him is the need to find him… and that's not right."

Harry tightened his arms around her. "What is right is that you're searching for him so that you can give him the love you know he deserves. You're already a better parent than the ones I was raised by, and you haven't even met your son."

It was later that day, when they returned home, that they had a spark of hope once more. Mrs Weasley, who was steadily becoming more like her usual self if nobody mentioned Fred around her, was in the kitchen, waiting anxiously for them to arrive. The second she walked through to the kitchen, her mother had pulled her into a hug.

"Ginny! Aberforth Dumbledore was here earlier. He brought over a couple of books he believes you left in his flat? They're rather unusual reading choices for you…"

Harry had spotted them on the counter already, and brought them to her. The first was a book on portkeys and their function. The second was a book that appeared to be written in French.

"Mum, I can't… Aberforth brought them you said? And he didn't say anything else about them?" Did she dare hope that her past self had left her some sort of clue in the pages of these books?

"Yes, that's what he said. My knowledge of French is a little rusty dear, so if I'm wrong, forgive me… but why do you have a book about Magical Orphanages in France?" she indicated to the second book.

"France!" Ginny shrieked, her heartbeat instantly speeding up. "Harry! Why didn't I think of this before? This whole time he hasn't been in England or Scotland or Ireland… I must have created a portkey," She pulled the portkey book out of Harry's stunned hands. "and used it to go to one of these orphanages! Harry, this has to be it… there must be answers in here…"

Mrs Weasley's face developed a stern, but not unkind, look. "Ginny, what is going on?"

  
  
Ginny froze for a moment. This was it. This was how she would tell her mother she was really a grandmother. Her face became very concentrated, and Harry was reminded of the first time he had kissed her, and look she'd given him when he told her they needed to break up at the end of sixth year… "Mum… this might be hard to hear so I understand if you need a moment to take it all in." Ginny led her mother and Harry to sit at the dining table. More for her own support than her mothers, though she fooled herself anyway. "A couple of weeks ago I woke up one morning and had a, well, I guess you could call it a vision. An Obliviator was giving me information about something I'd purposefully hidden…" Ginny turned to Harry, who placed his hand on hers and nodded encouragingly. "The Obliviator started to tell me about how… how I'd had a baby, and kept the whole process a secret, even hiding the baby in an orphanage. At first I wasn't entirely sure I believed it, but after researching Transient Obliviation, I believe that I've started unlocking the memories I need to locate… my baby."

Mrs Weasley appeared to be swaying slightly, and the couple were glad she was already seated. Ginny oddly noted that her mother, while obviously unnerved by the conversation, seemed unsurprised. "I've been conflicted for a lot of years about this exact moment. I haven't known whether I should be hoping that you got to this point or desperately hope that you never did."

What? Ginny thought. She replayed her mother's words, trying desperately to make sense of them, but she came up empty handed and asked the first question that popped into her head. "You've been wondering if I should have a baby with Harry?"

Now, Mrs Weasley did look confused. "... Ginny dear, whatever are you talking about?"

"I just... but you said... okay let me start over. I'm talking about how in February I had a baby in secret; I hid it from everyone, nobody knew because I believe I was charming my robes to conceal the pregnancy, though I don't know for sure. Only the Obliviator who dealt with my case knew. I'm assuming I did this because I was scared Voldemort would find out and use the baby to control Harry... or me..."

Mrs Weasley bore an expression similar to someone being told, very seriously, that the Earth was flat, but with such convincing evidence that she couldn't argue against it. "Are you saying that you had a baby recently? As in this year? With Harry?"

Ginny's head was starting to hurt.  
"Yes, that's what I'm saying. What did you think I meant?"

Mrs Weasley brushed her off. "Nothing, nothing, I was just startled by the topic is all." Harry couldn't recall a time he'd ever seen Mrs Weasley so frazzled.

Ginny frowned, feeling like maybe she was the one who was missing something. But her mother was tight lipped, and refusing to make eye contact with either of them.

"Ginny, I need a moment to process this…" she stood up and hurried out of the room.

Ginny and Harry watched her stumble up the stairs, confusion and dread in both of their hearts


	5. A stroke of magical genius

Mrs Weasley didn't talk to Harry or Ginny for the rest of that day. In fact, she seemed so flustered during dinner, knocking cutlery off the table and accidentally mashing the potatoes so hard that they spattered all over the kitchen, that Ginny felt guilty for even telling her about the baby. Harry, too, was incredibly worried about the woman.

When nightfall came Harry and Ginny began to assume she'd meant it when she said she needed time to process, and resolved not to bring it up until they knew more.

After the family had retired to bed, the young couple stayed in the kitchen, downing firewhisky and reading through the book on French orphanages.

"Now Harry, I'm clearly a genius for choosing France." Ginny had taken quite a few long sips of the strong alcoholic drink and her head was spinning accordingly.

Harry, who was not nearly at her level of intoxication, looked up from the book. "Do explain, please." He smirked.

"France, my dear, is not too far from England," she held up one finger, as though beginning a list, "they don't force you to completely relinquish your parental rights until seven years after the child is given up, so you can return at any time to permanently retain your child," she held up two fingers and proceeded to stick up a third, "AND most importantly, "France doesn't have any evil, megalomaniac dictators trying to take over their country!"

Harry smiled. "You certainly went to great lengths to find a good hiding spot."

She smiled back, the firewhisky and Harry's support cheering her up slightly. "Exactly. You're welcome, by the way."

Harry flipped a page over. "So where should we start? Do any of these orphanages look familiar?"

Ginny laughed, but there was an edge to her voice. "Not even a little bit!" She giggled hysterically. "In fact, we could probably visit all of these places and I would have no idea whether our son was there because I have no idea what he looks like or what his name is!" The laughter became shallow, heaving sobs and tears started to roll down her face. She covered it with her hands as Harry pulled her into his arms.

"We'll find him Ginny. I know there's no magical record of his birth, but we'll find him, even if we have to get DNA tests from every single child in every single orphanage in the whole of France. Or the whole world."

"What's a DNA test? Is it hard?" Ginny stopped sobbing and was breathing slower now that she was pressed against Harry’s chest.

"Oh, sorry. Its a test muggles do to check if someone is related to them. It's harmless, they just need a bit of your hair or saliva or something. Muggles really have come a long way in the science world-"

Ginny was suddenly no longer in the room. Well, she was, but her mind had started racing and spinning and falling. A vision, clear as any memory, had popped into her mind. It was her hand, signing an odd document on bright white, perfectly rectangular paper. The paper was strange, with sharp black lines and perfectly sized lettering, not possibly created by a quill and ink.

Then she felt like she was falling endlessly while standing still. She was holding another perfect paper, but this one with bigger letters, and a name she couldn't read was written across the page.

She couldn't read anything clearly on the page, but she could without a doubt understand four words:

Mother: Ginevra Molly Weasley

She was immediately jolted back into her usual head space. Harry was staring at her with wide eyes, still holding her in his arms.

"Did you remember something?" The anguish and hope in his voice was evident.

Ginny took a moment to recover. "Harry... I'm not sure I understand what I saw... but there is a document _somewhere_ that says I'm the mother of _someone_."

Harry looked confused. "But the Obliviator said there was no records..."

She shook her head. "No... he said there's no magical records."


	6. Kingsley Comes Through

As usual, Hermione had a theory about Ginny's vision. Hermione and Ron had been planning their trip to Australia in the Weasley's kitchen, so Ginny felt a little guilty interrupting them. She knew more than anyone else how Hermione must be feeling, knowing her parents were somewhere in another country but having no idea where to find them…

"This has to mean the baby's birth is documented in the French muggles' records." Hermione stated confidently. Ginny had given her and Ron a thorough recap, sparing no details, while Harry made them all tea. "Honestly, Ginny, if Harry asks Kingsley I'm certain that he could pull rank for you and find a child born on the 21st of February whose mother is literally you." She took a sip from the cup Harry handed her. "Thanks, its good. Harry, maybe you can write to him?"

Harry sat at the kitchen table next to Ginny, taking a sip of his own tea thoughtfully. "Honestly, maybe I should have thought about doing that in the first place… it just didn't occur to me because I'm so used to rejecting this 'saviour' persona everyone gives me."

Hermione tapped her quill against the table thoughtfully. "You should definitely get on that, Harry. But honestly, it could be worth going to a French Muggle police station. They might be able to help – and just say you gave your baby up for adoption but you've changed your mind."

"But how can I explain that I don't know what orphanage he's in?" Ginny pondered.

"Hmmm.." Hermione sipped her tea. "You're not French, so you don't remember the name of the orphanage, or the name of the area... maybe…"

Harry chimed in. "Maybe we can see how far Kingsley gets and go from there?" Ginny nodded in agreement.

Minister Kingsley must have had nothing more important to do, or had decided that Harry and Ginny's child was worth the effort, because he appeared at the Burrow early the next morning after Harry sent Hermes to deliver the letter (He would have used Pigwidgeon, but the tiny owl didn't have the best track record, and Percy had insisted he use Hermes when he'd heard that Harry was writing to the Minster of Magic). Mrs Weasley, who still hadn't recovered from the shock of a new grandchild, fussed about the kitchen and served her guest (and children) biscuits and tea.

"I have to admit, Harry, that your letter put several of my plans for the week on hold – thank you, Molly." He accepted his tea-cup gratefully. "However it is of my opinion that this is a matter that effects the security of your family, Wizarding England – and to an extent, the entirety of France."

Harry and Ginny exchanged surprised glances. "A national security issue? You really believe that?" Ginny said.

Kingsley nodded gravely. "Indeed. Consider the implications of one of the Death Eaters seeking revenge to avenge their master, only to discover that the man who destroyed him has a baby somewhere in hiding, I'd imagine that nothing would stop them from finding the child."

A shiver ran throughout Ginny's body. She had believed that now that the war was ended that the world was safe… it was why she'd remembered her baby in the first place. But to think of what could happen if the knowledge of her child fell into the wrong hands… Death Eaters hands.

Harry reached his hand out to Ginny's, squeezing it tightly.

Kingsley broke the tension by speaking again. "What I can promise you is that the safety of your family and the baby is being treated with the highest caution, and the baby's existence is strictly confidential. What I need from the two of you is a sample of each of your hairs so that a select few Aurors will be able to create a tracing spell."

Harry cleared his throat. "Which Aurors?"

Kingsley smiled. "Dawlish and Robards. Robards has resumed his position as Head of the Auror Department, and Dawlish has insider information on the Death Eater whereabouts because he became a double agent during the war to feed information to the Order. They can't perform the spell themselves but they are overseeing the team of five aurors who will begin searching for the baby tomorrow. These aurors don't know the identity of your baby, they are only assisting as security and location detail. Once the child is located I will be transporting the pair of you to approach the orphanage in whatever legal manner the Muggle's require, while the rest of the aurors stand guard to ensure there are no mishaps."

"Thank you." Said Ginny, though anxiety began to swell in the pit of her stomach.


End file.
